We’re not just a sheeting facility anymore. In recent years, we’ve added digital sheeting, large format sheeting, an embosser, and a laminator and we recently expanded our capacity tremendously through the acquisition of three International Paper converting facilities, making Atlantic the largest converter of bleached paperboard in North America.

Geoff SearcyFine Paperboard Converting

Geoff Searcy

Geoff got started in the paper industry in 1976 working at a small, independent company called Virginia Paper Co. It was here where he first started a relationship with Atlantic, who had their print shop and distribution business in Tabor City and was a good customer of Virginia Paper Co. at the time.

Geoff went to work for Atlantic in 1981 as the general manager of Crown Packaging in Wilmington, Atlantic’s early packaging operation. He ran a small converting operation on 9th St. with a focus on chipboard inserts, setup boxes, and textile inserts for shirts among other products.

With his background in paper, Geoff started concentrating on building up a commercial converting operation for Atlantic. In 1985, they moved to 23rd St. in Wilmington, where Atlantic headquarters are still located today, and added more equipment. As this operation grew, and after the purchase of Henley Paper Co. in 1999, Atlantic relocated the commercial converting facility to Charlotte in 2000. They moved their existing equipment, including 5 sheeters and a rewinder, bought 2 new sheeters, and eventually expanded the operation by adding digital sheeting, carton packing, and a laminating machine.

In October 2014, Atlantic purchased 3 commercial converting facilities from International Paper in Greensboro, Hazleton, PA, and Sturgis, MI, which significantly expands our capabilities and our footprint for commercial converting. Under Geoff’s leadership, we look forward to continued growth and success with this program.

Atlantic Acquires IP Converting Plants

Atlantic has emerged as the largest converter of bleached paperboard in North America. We serve customers nationally with commercial converting facilities located throughout the southeast, northeast, midwest, and southwest.

Commercial paper converting serves a broad customer base. We work with paper merchants to convert product, primarily bleach board, and provide quick turn service as well as carton and skid inventory. We also work directly with customers on folding carton accounts, providing custom sizes, quick turns, and expansive inventory programs.

High speed sheeter lines and multi-shift operations allow us to react quickly according to our customers' needs. The precision press-ready sheeting, rewinding and trimming are our core functions as we work from our on-hand inventory and with a dedicated transportation and logistics network.

Service

We work to make things easy for our customers.

While our products and capabilities lead the industry, it is the service commitment of our people that sets Atlantic Converting apart. Instant price quotes are available with a simple phone call, and our individual personalized service is available from the initial inquiry though delivery of the finished product.

We build personalized relationships with our customers and develop highly customized programs to meet whatever particular challenges or needs they may have. It’s all about ease of doing business. We’re always going to be flexible and willing to do whatever it takes to service the customer.

Mark ScottCommercial Converting

Mark Scott

A native of Richmond, VA, Mark Scott completed a UNC college internship with Atlantic during the summer of 1989. He worked alongside Geoff Searcy in what was then the Wilmington paper converting operation. He would spend the mornings in office learning the customer base and then spend the afternoons in the plant learning the product.

After graduation, Mark moved back to Richmond and embarked on a 14-year career in business. He rejoined Atlantic in 2005 as part of the commercial converting team, which had relocated from Wilmington to Charlotte. At that point, the business had transformed from a niche converter producing setup boxes and inserts, to a major commercial converting player serving the paper merchant channel throughout the Southeast.

Atlantic commercial converting continues to grow and evolve today. We now also have numerous toll-converting relationships with the most respected domestic paper mills in the industry. The 2014 acquisition of new converting operations in Greensboro, NC, Hazleton, PA, Sturgis MI, and soon to be Dallas TX, has spread Atlantic’s reach far beyond the Southeastern US.

Mark is now concentrating his efforts at integrating those new operations into the Atlantic culture and business model.

We purchased our first precision sheeter in the mid-1980′s and in 1990, demand had grown enough that we purchased our second sheeter at that time. In 1992, we added 2 more and growth in our paper converting division has continued since then, most recently with the purchase of 3 International Paper (IP) converting facilities in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Our modern, multiple line capacity and multi-shift operation allow us to be flexible in production scheduling and reacting to the changing market and priorities of our customers. Extensive first quality board inventory and our dedicated transportation network, put skids at the door of commercial printing, tag and label, and folding carton customers throughout the U.S. - on time, every time.

With our employees striving for excellence in safety, quality, and performance, we will provide our customers with the best converting services and products available. Our sense of urgency in everything we do will keep Atlantic the best converting service in the industry.

Jim HansonPaperboard Converting

Jim Hanson

Prior to his long and varied career in the paper industry, Jim already had established roots in a similar field. His family included a number of accomplished carpenters that were dedicated to their craft. While Jim’s own path may look different from that of a carpenter, he has crafted a rich and satisfying career turning those same materials into many of the products we use today.

Jim majored in Environmental Biology at Gannon University in Erie, PA, graduating with his bachelor’s degree in 1975. Shortly thereafter he accepted a position at Hammermill Paper Mill (later acquired by International Paper) working as a woodchip expert. His work at that time quickly led to a role as a process engineer, and then area manager for bleaching operations. He became involved in a corporate-wide project for International Paper, and was the Construction Manager for a $13 million rebuild of their bleach plant.

Jim transitioned into a new role as the Safety Manager with the Erie PA mill of International Paper. He received extensive training in safety processes, and ensured that his facilities would establish best practices for Safety. Facilities under his leadership have gone years without OSHA recordable injuries.

With a strong desire to get back into manufacturing and operations, Jim moved back into converting in 1994. In 2003 he accepted a position as Facility Manager, overseeing IP’s converting operations at the Hazleton, PA, location. His work there was recognized by IP Leadership and they requested that he transition to a similar role with the Greensboro, NC, location. When Atlantic acquired IP’s converting facilities in Hazleton, PA, Greensboro, NC, and Sturgis, Mi in October 2014, we gained an invaluable asset in Jim Hanson.

In his present role, Jim is in charge of operations at the Atlantic Greensboro Spring Garden commercial converting facility. He oversees hiring, training, safety, manufacturing, and controlling costs, while ensuring that quality specifications are met and that the plant meets its productivity and growth commitments.

Jim’s depth of knowledge and experience stems from his nearly 40-year career in paper processing and manufacturing. Atlantic is privileged and delighted to have him on our team.

Versatility

Precision sheeting, rewinding, guillotine trimming, and now laminating are our core functions, and, within that scope, converting special sizes and quick turns are at the heart of our strengths.

Our laminating and embossing capabilities allow us to produce casino grade playing cards. Our laminating services cover paper to paper, including an opaque sheet from StopLight, paper to board, and board to board.

Atlantic maintains a massive on-site inventory of first quality domestic paperboard from major North American mills such as MWV and International Paper, offering a full caliper range of SBS C1S and C2S. Our extensive inventory also includes a wide variety of roll widths, allowing us to minimize waste for the custom converting of special sheet sizes. Atlantic converts sheet sizes from small digital sheets run on digital presses, all the way up to huge 100” long sheets for large format printers.

In addition to SBS paperboard, Atlantic converts tobacco board as well as coated and uncoated fine paper grades. Also available are industrial grades such as CUK (coated unbleached kraft) from Graphic Packaging and MWV, CRB (coated recycled board) from various mills, and KraftPak (a low density/high yield uncoated natural kraft printable board grade) from KapStone.

Quality

All of Atlantic's converted papers are first quality product, backed by our manufacturers, their technical teams, and by Atlantic's own in-house technical staff with years of experience in both converting as well as commercial printing. Our mission is to exceed our customer’s expectations in the performance of our products, the reliability of our service, and the integrity of our commitments.

Atlantic has evolved from operating a single commercial paperboard converting facility in North Carolina to becoming the largest converter of bleached paperboard in North America with converting locations throughout the U.S. We've been able to grow and develop to this point because of the care we take in our work, the quality of the product we start with, and the quality of the converted papers that we deliver.

Sustainability

Atlantic Packaging has shown its commitment to sustainability and assisting customers in achieving their sustainability goals. We've done this through qualifying for and implementing certified chain-of-custody programs that guarantee paper product coming from certified and responsibly managed forestlands that is traced throughout our process from raw material receipt to finished goods delivery.

National Coverage

Our fine paperboard converting operation has expanded significantly in recent years, with room and opportunity for further growth.

Atlantic has physical commercial converting operations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Dallas (see Our Locations). Together with our robust logistics program, we are able to offer national coverage and provide further convenience and reliable service to our customers.

We look forward to serving you with the best quality, care, efficiency, and professionalism in the marketplace.